User Guide: Emergency Handling & Priority Inspections

Last updated: January 15, 2026

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Overview

Emergency handling allows the Permitting Department to respond quickly to urgent inspection needs that cannot wait for normal scheduling. This guide covers how emergency and priority inspections are initiated, approved, logged, and managed throughout their lifecycle.

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Understanding Priority Levels

Inspection Priority Options

How Priority Affects Scheduling

Higher priorities are scheduled sooner:

1. Urgent inspections are placed at the top of the queue
2. High priority items are scheduled before normal items
3. Normal follows standard round-robin assignment
4. Low fills remaining slots after higher priorities

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For Citizens: Requesting Urgent Inspections

When to Request Urgent Priority

Request urgent or high priority when:

• Safety hazard requires immediate verification
• Gas or electrical emergency repair
• Structural concern requiring urgent inspection
• Weather damage requiring immediate assessment
• Time-critical construction milestone

How to Indicate Urgency

When scheduling an inspection:

1. Log in to the Citizen Portal
2. Navigate to Building, Fire, or Licenses
3. Click Inspections tab
4. Click Schedule Inspection
5. Fill out the appointment form
6. In the Priority Level field, select:
   • High for expedited scheduling
   • Urgent for same-day or emergency needs
7. In the description, explain why urgent attention is needed
8. Submit the request

Note: Urgent requests may require staff review and approval.

What Happens After Requesting

1. Your request is flagged for priority review
2. Staff receives notification of urgent request
3. Staff evaluates urgency and may contact you
4. If approved, inspection is fast-tracked
5. You receive confirmation with scheduled time
6. If denied, staff will explain and offer alternatives

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For Staff: Managing Priority Inspections

Viewing Priority Requests

1. Log in to the Calendar App
2. Go to Appointments → List View
3. Filter by Priority: High or Priority: Urgent
4. Review flagged inspection requests

Evaluating Urgency

When reviewing a priority request, consider:

Approving Priority Requests

If urgency is justified:

1. Open the appointment request
2. Verify priority level is appropriate
3. Check inspector availability
4. Assign to available inspector with capacity
5. Confirm or adjust the scheduled time
6. Save the appointment
7. System notifies citizen of confirmation

Denying or Downgrading Priority

If urgency is not justified:

1. Contact the applicant to discuss
2. Explain why standard scheduling is appropriate
3. Offer the next available standard slot
4. Change priority to Normal if they agree
5. Document the conversation in notes
6. Save the updated appointment

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For Managers: Emergency Override Procedures

What Is an Emergency Override?

An emergency override bypasses normal scheduling rules to:

• Schedule inspections outside regular hours
• Assign inspectors outside their normal zones
• Override capacity limits for urgent needs
• Bypass standard approval workflows

When to Use Emergency Override

Initiating an Emergency Override

1. Navigate to Calendar App → Appointments
2. Click Create New Appointment
3. Set Priority Level to Urgent
4. Fill in inspection details
5. If normal rules block scheduling:
   • System prompts for override authorization
   • Enter justification for override
   • Select override type (time, zone, capacity)
6. Submit with override
7. System logs the override action

Override Logging and Audit Trail

All emergency overrides are logged with:

• Override Type: What rule was bypassed
• Justification: Why override was necessary
• Authorized By: Manager who approved
• Timestamp: When override was executed
• Original Constraint: What was the blocked action
• Override Action: What was allowed instead

Reviewing Override History

1. Go to Administration → Audit Logs
2. Filter by Action Type: Emergency Override
3. Review override entries
4. Verify justifications are documented
5. Identify patterns requiring policy review

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Emergency Inspection Workflow

Standard Emergency Flow

After-Hours Emergency Protocol

For emergencies outside business hours:

1. Citizen Contact: Call emergency permitting line
2. After-Hours Staff: Reviews request by phone
3. Assessment: Staff determines if inspection is critical
4. Authorization: Supervisor approves after-hours deployment
5. Inspector Assignment: On-call inspector dispatched
6. Documentation: Full details recorded next business day
7. Follow-up: Standard paperwork completed

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For Inspectors: Handling Emergency Assignments

Receiving Emergency Assignments

When assigned an emergency inspection:

1. You receive immediate notification (push/SMS/email)
2. Assignment appears at top of your queue
3. Priority badge shows Urgent in red
4. Navigate to inspection location promptly

Emergency Inspection Checklist

Before leaving for emergency inspection:

• Review permit details and inspection type
• Note any special access instructions
• Verify applicant contact information
• Bring appropriate equipment and forms
• Confirm navigation to address

Recording Emergency Results

After completing emergency inspection:

1. Record results immediately (Pass/Fail/Corrections)
2. Document all findings in detail
3. Note any safety actions taken
4. Take photos if applicable
5. Submit results from the field
6. Notify supervisor of completion

Declining Emergency Assignments

If you cannot respond to an emergency:

1. Contact supervisor immediately
2. Explain why you're unavailable
3. Suggest alternative inspector if known
4. Supervisor will reassign urgently
5. Document reason in system

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Emergency Categories

Safety Emergencies

Immediate safety concerns requiring urgent inspection:

• Gas leaks near appliance installations
• Electrical hazards requiring sign-off
• Structural stability concerns
• Fire safety equipment verification
• Emergency egress issues

Weather/Disaster Response

Following severe weather events:

• Structural damage assessments
• Flood damage inspections
• Storm damage evaluations
• Foundation integrity checks
• Emergency repairs verification

Time-Critical Construction

Construction phases that cannot wait:

• Concrete pours scheduled
• Phases before covering work
• Certificate of occupancy deadlines
• Permit expiration approaching

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Reporting and Metrics

Emergency Inspection Reports

Managers can generate reports showing:

• Number of emergency requests received
• Approval vs. denial rates
• Response times for urgent inspections
• Override frequency and reasons
• Inspector emergency assignment distribution

Accessing Reports

1. Navigate to Administration → Reports
2. Select Emergency Inspection Summary
3. Choose date range
4. Filter by priority level, outcome, or inspector
5. Export or view results

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Troubleshooting

For Citizens

Q: I requested urgent but haven't heard back. A: Contact Permitting Support directly. Urgent requests should receive response within hours during business days.

Q: My urgent request was denied. Why? A: Staff evaluated the situation and determined it could be handled through normal scheduling. Contact the office for explanation.

Q: Can I request emergency inspection on weekends? A: True emergencies may be accommodated. Call the emergency permitting line for after-hours urgent needs.

For Staff

Q: All inspectors are at capacity. How do I handle an emergency? A: Request manager override to either exceed capacity limits or assign inspector from another zone.

Q: Should I approve all urgent requests? A: No. Evaluate each request against urgency criteria. Only true emergencies warrant queue jumping.

Q: How do I document an override? A: The system prompts for justification when override is needed. Always document the reason clearly.

For Managers

Q: Too many override requests. What's wrong? A: Review scheduling capacity. Frequent overrides indicate systemic issues requiring capacity adjustment.

Q: How do I audit emergency handling? A: Use Audit Logs filtered by Emergency Override to review all exceptions and justifications.

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Best Practices

For Citizens

1. Be specific - Explain why inspection is urgent
2. Provide contact info - Staff may need to reach you
3. Be available - Emergency slots require quick confirmation
4. Understand limitations - Not all requests qualify as urgent

For Staff

1. Consistent criteria - Apply same urgency standards to all
2. Document decisions - Record reasons for approvals/denials
3. Communicate clearly - Explain outcomes to applicants
4. Escalate appropriately - Involve managers for true emergencies

For Managers

1. Review patterns - Monitor emergency request trends
2. Audit overrides - Ensure justifications are valid
3. Adjust capacity - If emergencies are frequent, add resources
4. Train staff - Ensure consistent urgency evaluation

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Related Features

• Inspector Assignment & Reassignment - Assignment process
• Emergency Override Logging - Override audit details
• Audit Logs & History - Reviewing override history
• Inspector Scheduling & Route - Daily scheduling

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Technical Notes

Priority Field:

• Stored as: priority field on appointment record
• Values: low, normal, high, urgent
• Default: normal

Override Logging:

• All overrides recorded in audit log
• Include: override_type, justification, authorized_by, timestamp
• Retained for compliance reporting

Component Location:

• Priority selection: /apps/calendar-app/src/pages/Calendar/components/BookAppointmentDialog/
• Constants: /apps/calendar-app/src/constants/appointmentStatus.ts

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For emergency assistance outside business hours, contact the Emergency Permitting Line.